Switch mounting



1957 T. w. DRURY 2,803,728

SWITCH MOUNTING Filed May 14, 1954 swrrcu MOUNTING Thomas W. Drury, Sturgis, Mich., assignor to Kingston Products Corporation, Kokomo, Ind., a corporation of diana Application May 14, 1954, Serial No. 429,734 2 Claims. (oi. 200-468) This invention relates to improvements in a mounting structure and more particularly to improvements in a mountingstructure for securing switchesand the like to the instrument panel of a motor vehicle.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a switch mounting structure which is simple and rugged and which will withstand the prolonged vibration which may occur in the operation of a motor vehicle.

It is a further important object of the present invention to provide a switch mounting structure by which a switch may be readily assembled with the instrument panel of a motor vehicle or the like.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel switch bracket for cooperation with a mounting bezel in securing the switch to an instrument panel.

Other and further important objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a heater switch assembly secured to the instrument panel of a motor vehicle and constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line IV-IV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line V-V of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the bezel utilized in securing the switch to the instrument panel.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figures 1 and 2 is illustrated a mounting structure for securing a heater switch assembly 10 to a panel 11, such as the instrument panel of a motor vehicle. The heater switch assembly 10 may, for example, have an actuating rod 12 for longitudinal retraction to actuate a flexible conduit 13 having an actuating wire 14 therein. The operating rod 12 is provided with an enlarged portion 15 for rotating an insulating sleeve 16 and a rotor 17 thereon between switching positions relative to a switch member 18. The rotor may be secured for rotation with the sleeve by means of cooperating flats shown in Figure 4. The switch member 18 is provided with terminals 18a and 18b (Figures 1 and 2) connected with contacts 180 and 18d, Figure 4. In the position shown in Figure 4, the rotor 17 engages a contact which is connected to contact 18d through the resistor 19. The terminal 18a is then connected with the terminal 18b through rotor 17 and resistor 19, the rotor having a projection 17a (Figure 2) engaging a ring 21 (Figure 4) carrying the contact 18c. If the rotor 17 is moved to engage contact 18d, terminals 18a and 18b are connected directly through contact 180, ring 21, rotor 17 and contact 18d. A spring (Figures 1 and 2) telescopes on the insulating sleeve 16 and urges the rotor 17 into engagement with the vari- :ous contacts and urges the projection 17a into contact with the conducting ring 21 carrying the contact 180.

For mounting the switch assembly, a bracket 22 has a clamp portion 22a clamped to the flexible conduit 13, intermediate upstanding ears 22b carrying the switch member 18 and a plate portion 22c having a tubularnose portion 26, Figure 5, projecting therefrom and telescoping within the tubular portion 23e of a bezel member 23.

As best seen in Figure 3, the bracket plate portion 22c has a first stop portion 22d struck from one edge thereof and a second stop portion 222 struck from the edge of a The stops cooperate with an central aperture therein. abutment lug 24b (Figure 3) projecting from a metal collar 24 which fits within a recess in an enlarged portion 16a of the insulating sleeve 16 (Figures 1 and 2). Lugs 24a and 24b of collar 24 are seated in radial slots in the enlarged portion 16a to rotate the insulating sleeve 16 therewith. 4 The collar 24 has a central aperture with a flat cooperating with a fiat 15a (Figure 4) on the operating rod enlarged portion 15 to secure the collar 24 for rotation with the operating rod. The stops. 22d and 22e thus limit movement of the rotor 17 between the position shown in Figure 4 and positions in engagement with contacts 18c and 18d. If one of the stops 22d or 226 (Figure 3) is omitted, it will be understood that the rotor 17 can cooperate with the resistor 19 to progressively vary the resistance between terminals 18a and 18b.

As best seen in Figure 5, the tubular nose portion 26 is provided with a pair of integral diametrically opposite radially outwardly extending lugs 26a and 26b for riding in bayonet slots 23a in the bezel 23. It will be observed that each bayonet slot 23a includes an axial portion 23b extending from the edge of the bezel inwardly and a reentrant blind end portion 230 in which the lugs 26a and 26b are retained by means of a compression spring 27 which at one end engages the bracket plate portion 220 and at the opposite end acts against the panel 11, the bezel being provided with an enlarged flange portion 23a for engaging the exterior surface of the panel adjacent the aperture through which the tubular portion 23c of the bezel extends.

In assembly of the switch mounting with the panel 11, the bezel tubular portion 2% may be inserted through the aperture in the panel with lug 23f aligned with a corresponding notch in the panel and the spring 27 telescoped thereover. The bracket tubular nose portion 26 may then be inserted into the bezel tubular portion 23e, with the lugs 26a and 26b aligned with the bayonet slot axial portions 23b. The switch mounting nose portion 26 is then pressed into the bezel tubular portion against the tension of the spring 27 and the bezel and mounting relatively rotated to seat the lugs in the reentrant terminal portions 230 of the bayonet slots.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 270,410, filed February 7, 1952, and entitled Switch Mounting, now Pat. No. 2,689,700, Sept. 21, 1954.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be eifected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A switch construction comprising a mounting bracket of sheet metal having an integral upturned portion, a tubular nose portion extending from said upturned portion, a bezel having a tubular portion of diameter to telescope over said nose portion and having a bayonet slot viding an internal cylindrical surface, and anoperating rod within said bore and in sliding relation to'said nose portion internal cylindrical surface, the bezel having a front disk portion of diameter greater than said bezel tubular portion, and the disk portion having a central aperture small in diameter in comparison with the internal diameter of said bezel tubular portion and receiving said operating rod therethrough.

2. A switch construction comprising a mounting bracket having a plate portion and a tubular nose portion extending therefrom, a bezel having a tubular portion of diameter to telescope over said nose portion and having a bayonet slot extending inwardly from an edge thereof, said nose portion having a lug projecting radially outwardly therefrom for cooperation with said bayonet slot toretain said bezel with said nose portion, a compression spring of diameter to telescope over said bezel tubular portion and engaging at one end with said bracket plate portion and at the opposite end with an instrument panel through which said bezel projects to retain the bezel in assembly with said nose portion, a switch member carried by said bracket in spaced relation to said bracket plate portion, an operating rod extending through said bezel, said tubular nose portion and said bracket plate portion, a switch rotor cooperating with said switch member to define a plurality of switching positions and shiftable between said switching positions by rotation of said rod, abutment means carried by said operating rod adjacent; said bracket plate portion and movable with said rod as the same is rotated to move said switch rotor between switching positions, and a stop formed integrally with said bracket plate portion and offset from the plane thereof to cooperate with said abutment means to limit rotation of said operating rod in one direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

